Mercedes-Benz SL-class convertibles are the most likely models to receive a traffic citation on U.S. roadways, according to the results of a survey released this week by Quality Planning, a car insurance analysis company.
"Besides the sociological aspect of 'who drives what,' the manner in which private passenger cars and trucks are driven has a meaningful bearing on how much individuals and families pay for auto insurance," said Bob U'Ren, Quality Planning senior vice president.
Foreign-made cars tended to draw more attention from American police, the study found, with just two entries in the top 10 coming from domestic automakers. The Mercedes convertibles that took the top spot in Quality Planning's ratings were 404 percent more likely than the national average to be cited for a traffic violation, according to the survey.
At the other end of the spectrum, the study found that the Buick Ranier SUV was the least likely to receive a ticket, getting cited at just 23 percent of the national rate. The prevalence of SUVs and minivans among the rest of the bottom 10 cited by Quality Planning suggests, the company said, that carrying passengers in any numbers seemed to make drivers more cautious and less likely to take risks on the road. In fact, SUVs and hatchbacks in general were less likely to be cited for a moving violation than standard models of car.
Whether the study's findings will directly impact auto insurance rates remains to be seen, but insurers frequently do use this type of data to gauge how likely the owner of a given car is to drive safely and stay out of trouble, experts say.